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Waze Mapping App Gets AMBER Alerts

The Waze mapping app is a great way to keep tabs on traffic and accident alerts, road closures and police speed traps, all in real-time. Now, the app might also help save lives. Starting this week, AMBER alerts from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children are being integrated into Waze.

“The AMBER alert program is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies and the wireless industry that aims to galvanize communities in the search for and the safe recovery of missing children,” the company explains on its official blog. “AMBER alerts have helped safely recover 728 children. We are proud to help expand the AMBER alerts program’s reach and eager to see the benefit Wazers can provide in making communities safer places.”

Waze will scan the U.S. for AMBER alerts every 10 minutes. If an active alert is discovered, it will be shared with Waze users in the relevant geographical area. For safety reasons, alerts will only be displayed when your car has come to a complete stop for at least 10 seconds and will disappear once you start moving again. Each individual alert will only be shared once per week per user.

The initial Waze AMBER alert pop-up will share the most relevant information, including a picture of the child, name, age, where he or she was last seen and details about the vehicle the child may be traveling including its make, model and license plate number. You can click the “More Information” button in the app to learn more, including who to contact if you spot the child. Check out the official Waze blog for more information about its AMBER alert integration.

Earlier this year, social network Facebook partnered with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to bring AMBER alerts to the Facebook mobile app. If you are in the same geographical area as a missing child, details about the alert will appear in your News Feed.